DO5

This is album number five from Canada's best kept secret MAHOGANY FROG called "Do5". Still a four piece this 2008 release if anything is more powerful and heavy than what has gone before. I mean this is loud with layers of sound and feedback galore. They do contrast it with less in your face stuff but the heaviness is what stood out for me compared to the previous three albums I own. It helps that two of the members play pretty much the same instruments in guitar, trumpet, arp strings, korg, electric piano, farfisa organ, micromoog and more. Then the drummer adds synths and the bass player organ and percussion. They can actually play this amazing music in real time. The keyboards dominate this record. Love the picture in the liner notes of the farfisa and micromoog. This was recorded between October 2006 and May 2007. All of the music was apparently run through a collection of vintage tube amplifiers giving off this interesting in your face sound.

A top three would include the longest track "T-Tigers & Toasters" and post the album cover please. A sample of a conversation to start along with electronics then spacey synths take over. A beat before 1 1/2 minutes and sparse piano. An interesting soundscape that warms up at 2 1/2 minutes. How good does this sound. They start to amp it up after 4 minutes and this does turn powerful with heavy drums. It settles right down after 5 1/2 minutes but quickly they turn up the heat again and this is driving and hard music right here. So good! The final minute is a wall of sound.

I liked "Demon Jiggling Spoon" right from the first spin. Electronics swirl and pulse before what sounds like sequencers, maybe micromoog that create an electronic beat along with drums. A calm with guitar and atmosphere but not for long. Distorted keys before 3 minutes then drums come in booming. It kicks back in for the final minute. "Lady Xoc & Shield Jaguar" is my final top three and is the second longest at 9 minutes. Gentle guitar melodies to start and they begin to echo as drums and bass join in, synths too. Distorted organ as this plays out then some power at 2 1/2 minutes before it settles back again. The tempo shifts here often then an urgent rhythm after 4 minutes with organ over top. It settles with guitar before 7 minutes like earlier then some distorted organ again before 8 minutes and late.

I don't detect any Post Rock stuff here but some canterbury still because of the distorted organ. "Loveset" the closer features these cello-like sounds to open and close the song that are pretty cool. "Medicine Missle" is dark and experimental with some huge bass and guitar that lights it up later on. "I Am Not Your Sugar" is a drum show and powerful. "Your'e Meshugah!" opens with some great sounding organ, kind of nasty as active drums join in. Another solid album and this one is 4 stars in my books. Careful with that toaster Eugene.

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